Sad But Hopeful

My sweet Aunt Sharon (with whom I lived with for 8 years of my life) passed away on Thursday 04/27/2012 at about 5:15pm CDT.  She was 65 years old.  She lived in Alabama and spent her final days living with another aunt and uncle of mine. This had been a long time coming.   I found out in March of 2011 that Aunt Sharon had a lung condition that would kill her as of that time within 2 months.  God answered prayer, however, and extended her life by another year. We exchanged some nice letters since that time.  I know from my letters with her and e-mails with Aunt Amelia whom she had lived with (as of recently) that she was saved. 

About a week or so ago, I received an e-mail from my Aunt Amelia that Aunt Sharon was in bad shape and was living with her (along with Aunt Sharon's husband---my Uncle Allen [who is also in bad shape]).  Aunt Sharon went downhill fast.  I started praying that God will either provide Aunt Sharon with a miraculous healing or to take Aunt Sharon home (to Heaven) soon and as pain-free as possible.  God nnswered that prayer by taking Aunt Sharon home.

Even though it is sad for me to hear of Aunt Sharon's death, I am filled with hope knowing that one day soon I will see her again. No longer is Aunt Sharon in pain. She is happy.  She is reunited with her mom and dad, and her other family members.

One day soon Jesus is going to rapture the church.  And on that day, I will be reunited with Aunt Sharon and all my saved loved ones.  Me, my wife and children and other family members will be able to worship at Jesus' throne forever.  I am very encouraged by this scripture:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NLT)

¹³ And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died^[a] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

¹⁵ We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.^{[b] 16} For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died^[c] will rise from their graves. ¹⁷ Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ So encourage each other with these words

I hope you are encouraged by these words, especially if you have had saved loved ones who have died.

I look forward to going to Heaven everyday!  I love the song that Brad Paisley sings; "When I Get Where I'm Going".  The chorus says this:

"Yeah when I get where I'm going
There'll be only happy tears
I will shed the sins and struggles
I have carried all these years
And I'll leave my heart wide open
I will love and have no fear
Yeah when I get where I'm going
Don't cry for me down here"

You can find these lyrics at: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bradpaisley/whenigetwhereimgoing.html

It's tempting to cry and to give in to sorrow over someone like my Aunt Sharon who has died.  I bet, however, that now that she is in Heaven and is happy, she wouldn't want any of us to cry. She would want us to be happy for her....to celebrate even!  She's in the presence of Jesus!  And that's the best place to be!

Thank you, Aunt Sharon (along with Uncle Allen), for helping to raise me for those 8 years!  Thank you for your love and for your good cooking and for providing me a home!  I love you! I look forward to seeing you in Heaven again!

Let's all pray for  my Uncle Allen (her husband), Aunt Amelia and Uncle Dutch (who helped take care of her) and the rest of her family members that God will grant them all and us grace, peace and love during this time.

The Joys of Newness

Yesterday, God blessed me with the ability to buy the new Dierks Bentley cd "Home" that I had been wanting for a very long time!  What's even better, I only paid a little over $2.00 for it! Sweet! You may be asking: "How did that happen?!".  I had recently gotten a $10 gift card from Target Pharmacy for purchasing one of my prescriptions I had transferred from Walgreens.  By the time I applied the $10 gift card to the cd, it was only a little over $2!  I was totally psyched!  I am a big Dierks Bentley fan!  

I hardly ever buy brand new cds!  Most of the time, when I want to listen to a cd I don't all ready have, I go to my local library's website and put it on hold.  When it arrives, I go pick it up.  Shiloh--my oldest son--and I go to the library atleast once a week!  So I am picking up cds weekly!  When I do want to go buy a cd, most of the time, I will order the cds from http://www.amazon.com/ .  Amazon has great prices on items such as cds, dvds and books!  The majority of the time, I will order a used cd usually in "Like New" or "Very Good" condition!  The cds always arrives quickly, and I am pretty much always happy in what condition they are in!
 
 However, there is nothing like buying a brand new cd!  I enjoy taking off the plastic, opening up the case, and even smelling the new cd and its booklet!  Have you ever done that?  I so enjoy the smell of the new cd booklet and the new cd!  There's something refreshing about its smell!  And the excitement of looking inside the booklet to preview the lyrics of the songs that are on the cd and seeing the new pictures!

I wonder if God takes the same joy as I do when I open new cds when he sees new children being born into His kingdom?  Do we exhibit a magnificent "new" smell when we are born again?  Does he enjoy taking in our new smell?  Does He enjoy seeing our "new" look?  I believe He does!  
Luke 15:7 (NLT) says this: "In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!".Jesus died and rose again so we could have a close relationship with God!  When we pray to Him, when we worship Him, when we share our everyday experiences with Him, etc... it brings God joy! And you know what?  When we bring God joy by being in a close relationship with Him, it also brings us joy!  It's a win-win situation!  And the joy God gives us no one nor no event in our lives can take away!  Proverbs 13:9: "The life of the godly is full of light and joy...". 

Have you given God joy lately by becoming a new creation in Him?  If not, what are you waiting for?!  You have Hell to lose, eternity with Christ, and a life of joy to gain.   

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog---Poet For Jesus!

Thanks for stopping by!  I pray God uses what I post on here to be a blessing to you!  To repeat what is in the blog description, I am passionate about Jesus, my family, Bible Prophecy and writing poetry! 

I gave my heart to Jesus when I was 10 years old in June 1987 at a Southern Baptist revival. It has by far been the best decision I could ever make!  Jesus has been my best friend and way closer than a brother through good times and bad. I would literally be dead if it wasn't for Jesus! 

I have been married to my beautiful wife for 7-1/2 years!  We have two sons who are 6 years and another that will be 4 years old in May!   Even though raising a family has its challenges and stresses, Jesus has definitely blessed me far beyond words through my wife and sons!   I enjoy being a husband and dad so much! My wife is so beautiful and kind!  She radiates the love of Christ so well!   I am so proud to have her as my wife! She is definitely the gold medal around my neck!  My two sons are so much fun to be around!   They are very high energy and enjoy being outside!  We enjoy going to the park together!

I have been passionate about Bible Prophecy since I was a teenager!  The book of Revelation has always been my favorite book of the Bible!  In my lifetime, I have read that book atleast 6 if not 7 times!  There are so many things that are happening these days that are fulfilling prophecy!  Crazy weather patterns and unrest in the middle east just to name a few!   It's exciting to see Bible prophecy unfold in the news!  I believe in a pre-trib rapture!  I look forward to Jesus coming back and calling us back home!

I have been writing poetry since my early teens!  In my teenage years, I wrote over 100 poems!  That was when I lived in Alabama.  When I moved to Minnesota in 2002, I left my early poems behind in my Mom's house.  Unfortunately, when Hurricane Katrina came, all the possessions I left behind including my poems were destroyed.

I stopped writing poetry in my later teens and in my twenties. Finally, in December 2009, I asked God if I could start writing poetry again.  On, Dec 28, 2009,  God started giving me ideas for poems, and I have been writing again since then! 

 I am currently writing my first book of mostly Christian poetry!  It started with that first new poem on Dec. 28, 2009.  It has been a long, but rewarding process!  What a joy to write poetry!  I feel closest to Jesus when I write!  Sometimes finding time to write poetry can be a challenge! Expecially between working full time, raising two sons, spending quality time with family, and attending church.  But whne I get to do so, boy, is it fun!!!!  I am really close to being finished with writing poems for the book!  I will keep you posted on this blog on the progress of the book!  Soon, I will start typing up the book on the computer so I can submit to the publishing company. There is a promising one I have found online that isn't a self-publishing company.

One more thing.  I also enjoy praying for people!  So if you have a prayer request don't hesitate to let me know! I'd be happy to pray for you!

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog!  Feel free to leave comments!  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!   And keep checking back!

Be blessed!  Have a great day! 

Jesus loves you! And so do I!

Jerry